WO2003042929A1

WO2003042929A1 - Method and device for automatically emitting an alarm signal

Info

Publication number: WO2003042929A1
Application number: PCT/IB2002/004573
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thierry Machicoane
Original assignee: Schlumberger Systemes; Schlumberger Malco, Inc.
Priority date: 2001-11-14
Filing date: 2002-10-31
Publication date: 2003-05-22
Also published as: FR2832244A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for automatically emitting an alarm signal to warn the user of a limited time service about the termination of said service, said method comprising a step whereby the user selects a service, a step whereby the user selects emission of a service termination alarm signal, a step whereby the user inputs data required for emitting said alarm signal, a step which consists in monitoring the course of said service and a step which consists in emitting the alarm signal warning the user about the termination of said service.

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OF AN ALERT SIGNAL

The present invention relates to a method for automatically transmitting an alert signal. The present invention relates more particularly to an automatic transmission method of an alert signal intended to warn the user of a service of limited duration, such as a right of access and in particular a right of parking, of the 'said service stopped.

The present invention also relates to a device for implementing the method for transmitting an alert signal according to the invention. As such, the present invention relates more particularly to a payment terminal used for parking cars on the road.

For many years, city parking for cars has paid off. To be able to leave their vehicle in a parking space, the motorist must prepay an amount corresponding to the chosen parking time. In the absence of such a payment, the vehicle is in violation and it is liable to be the subject of a fine or a fine by surveillance officers.

To occupy a paid parking space, the user must therefore pay parking fees at a payment terminal adapted for this purpose. Such terminals are better known as parking meters or parking meters.

The parking meter type system consists of a terminal in which the motorist wishing to park must pay (by coins, cards, etc.) for an amount corresponding to the desired parking time. A display mechanism placed on the terminal then shows a index corresponding to paid parking time. This index will then disappear as time goes by. Controlling such a system is simple since surveillance officers only need to look at the position of the index to know whether the vehicle occupying the location controlled by the terminal in question is in violation or not.

In the case of parking meters, the user receives in exchange for payment of the desired parking time (payment made using coins or an adapted payment card, etc.) a ticket bearing various printed information and in particular the authorized parking time limit. The user must place this visible ticket behind the windshield of his vehicle. The surveillance officers then check in parked cars the presence of a ticket and the indication appearing on the ticket of the parking time limit.

Whatever the type of payment terminals used: parking meters or parking meters, the user must come and pick up his vehicle or pay a new fee before the expiration of the acquired parking right, under penalty of taking the risk of seeing his vehicle. violate and be subject to a ticket.

The user therefore has an obligation to remember the authorized parking end time and to regularly check if this time has not yet arrived.

This approach is somewhat restrictive and liable to costly oversights.

The present invention therefore proposes to relieve the user having a telephone at his disposal by providing him with a method and a device. automatic end of parking warning. With such a process, the user is automatically notified by telephone of the upcoming expiration of his authorized parking time. This system has the advantage of allowing the user not to forget this deadline and therefore to protect the latter against the risk of violation.

It should be noted that this invention is not limited to the use of payment terminals of the parking meter or parking meter type but can also be applied to the payment of parking spaces by telephone call from a remote server (MPP or Mobile system). Phone Parking), and more generally to any device offering a service of limited duration and requiring the user to be informed of the end of said service.

The method according to the invention therefore relates to the automatic transmission of an alert signal intended to warn the user of a service of limited duration of the stopping of said service.

According to the invention, this method is more particularly characterized in that it comprises a step of selection by the user of a service, a step of selection by the user of the emission of an alert signal of end of said service, a step of monitoring the progress of said service and a step of issuing an alert signal warning the user of the stopping of said service.

According to another characteristic of the method according to the invention, the method also includes a step of entering by the user information necessary for the emission of said alert signal According to another characteristic of the method according to the invention, among the information necessary for the emission of said alert signal entered by the user, appears the moment of the emission of said alert signal.

According to another characteristic of the method according to the invention, the moment of the emission of the alert signal is captured in the form of a predetermined duration preceding the stopping of the service.

According to another characteristic of the method according to the invention, the alert signal consists of a telephone call.

According to another characteristic of the method according to the invention, the alert signal consists of a short message, for example of the SMS type.

So when the service consists of access to a parking space, the user makes his transaction on the payment terminal in a completely conventional manner.

Before or at the end of the transaction, the parking device offers the user the possibility of being informed of the expiration of his parking.

The user accepts or declines this option by means of a button provided for this purpose. If he accepts this option, he then chooses a duration of anticipation among pre-defined values 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc. of course less than paid parking time. Finally, the user is invited to enter their mobile phone number.

When the parking device reaches the end of parking time minus the anticipation period, it sends a short SMS message (Short Message System) to the number previously entered by the user, warning the user that their parking credit is about to expire.

According to another characteristic of the method according to the invention, the step of selection by the user of the emission of an end of service alert signal gives rise to payment to be validated.

According to another characteristic of the method according to the invention, the step of selection by the user of the emission of an end of service alert signal is carried out before the step of selection by the user of a service.

According to another characteristic of the method according to the invention, the step of selection by the user of a service gives rise to payment in order to be validated, the amount paid including the payment for the emission of the alert signal.

According to another characteristic of the method according to the invention, the service of limited duration is provided by a device, this device comprising appropriate means for programming, supervising and transmitting an alert signal.

According to another characteristic of the method according to the invention, the service is a service of temporary access rights to a good or to a service such as a right of parking on roads.

The present invention also relates to a device for implementing the method according to the invention.

According to a characteristic of the device which is the subject of the invention, the device comprises means for selecting and entering an alert signal, information necessary for the emission of this alert signal and a service such as a right of access, means of supervision and control of the duration of this service, and of the programmable means of transmitting the alert signal at the expiration of said service.

According to a characteristic of the device which is the subject of the invention, the device consists of a payment terminal for the right of access and in particular the parking right and more particularly by a parking meter.

The aims, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the description given below of an embodiment of the invention, presented by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the appended drawing, in which :

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a parking meter implementing the method according to the invention.

In FIG. 1, where only the elements necessary for understanding the invention have been shown, a payment terminal has been shown, which in this case is a parking meter 1. This parking meter 1 belongs to a park of parking meters managed by a operator such as a private organization or a municipality. The same park can include several tens to several thousand parking meters depending on the size of the city or agglomeration concerned. Obviously the use of payment terminals of the parking meter type is not limiting of the present invention which also applies to parking meters or to the use of a remote server accessible by means of a telephone (MPP) .

These parking meters are regularly distributed, for example every fifty meters, along the sidewalks of streets subject to paid regulated parking. The parking meter 1, like all or part of the other parking meters in the parking meter park, is connected via a telecommunications network 2 to a management not shown also called PMS, to transfer data to the latter.

The telephone network 2 is for example the telephone network of analog switched type PSTN (Public Switching Telephone Network) or of digital type ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network). This network 2 can also be constituted by a mobile radiotelephony network, whatever its nature: GSM, CDMA, TDMA, AMPS, D-AMPS, or even by the Internet network or more generally by any communication network capable of transmit data (X25, Ethernet, etc.) as well as by any combination of such networks.

The parking meter 1 is therefore provided with appropriate means of supervision and of reception / transmission of information and therefore in particular of a modem and an antenna in the case where the parking meter uses a radiotelephony network.

The parking meter 1 furthermore comprises a certain number of means making it possible to perform the essential functions of a parking meter, that is to say payment means, such as a card reader with electronic memory or with microcontroller and / or a coin or token collection device, information input means, such as a keyboard or a scroll wheel, associated with a display screen, in particular for selecting the parking time, means of printing, in particular provided for the edition of parking tickets, a time generator, power supply means, etc. A central unit or microcontroller with appropriate software ensures the operation of the parking meter and its various peripherals. It should be noted that the parking meter can also be equipped with means allowing the payment of a parking fee from a mobile phone.

All of the aforementioned means are known in themselves and do not

_ • will therefore not be described in more detail.

According to the invention, the microcontroller of the parking meter 1 is equipped with a specific program for transmitting an alert signal intended to warn the user of the upcoming expiration of his parking ticket.

The progress of this program corresponds to the progress of the method according to the invention.

A user having parked his vehicle in a place where parking is chargeable, goes to the nearest parking meter 1 in order to pay the parking fee. The parking meter 1 then offers the user the possibility of benefiting from a warning signal warning of the expiration of his parking right.

The selection by the user, via a button or a key on the keyboard provided for this purpose, of this service of issuing an alert signal, triggers the running of the aforementioned program.

The second step then consists, for the user, in providing the information required by the parking meter for the emission of the alert signal. This information is mainly two in number: the number of the telephone terminal 3 where the user can be alerted and the time relative to the expiration of the parking time at which the user wishes to be alerted. This information, once entered, is stored in an appropriate memory of the microcontroller.

The telephone number will preferably be the GSM mobile telephone number permanently available to the user. This number can however, be that of a landline, for example that of the hairdresser where the user will go. The time of issue of the alert signal or anticipation time is preferably chosen from predetermined values proposed by the parking meter 1: five minutes before the expiration of the ticket, ten minutes, fifteen minutes, etc.

It should be noted that this information may in certain circumstances not be entered by the user. This is particularly the case when the parking meter is able to have the telephone number by which to send the alert signal via another channel. For example, the user is a subscriber and has provided this information beforehand to the car park operator. When using the parking meter, entering a secret code or even using an appropriate payment card leads the parking meter to identify the user and to search for information in an appropriate database. required for the emission of the alert signal.

Furthermore, the time of the emission of the alarm signal can be non-programmable and arbitrarily fixed by the parking meter, for example ten minutes before the expiration of the authorized parking time.

This second step having been accomplished, the user then selects the desired parking time, in a completely traditional manner. Once this selection has been made, the user pays the appropriate corresponding amount. This amount can be increased compared to the basic rate to take into account the additional service offered by the parking meter 1 and selected by the user, which is the issue of an alert signal.

The user who has paid the prescribed amount receives in return a parking ticket printed by the parking meter 1, therefore returns to his vehicle to place this ticket clearly visible behind the windshield of his vehicle, and then goes about his business.

The parking meter 1 parallel to the ticket edition stores in the aforementioned memory the expiry time of the parking ticket and determines from the anticipation time entered by the user, the time of emission of the signal alarm. This moment is also memorized.

The parking meter 1 will then regularly read this memory and when the call time has expired, the parking meter then triggers the emission of an alert signal via the telecommunications network 2 to the telephone set 3 of the 'user. This call can take several forms: either the pre-recorded voice message form, or the form of a short text message of the type for example: * CAUTION - END OF PARKING AUTHORIZED IN 5MN *. This short message is sent according to the SMS (Short Message Service) protocol when the telecommunication terminal 3 is a GSM type mobile telephone terminal or else according to the SUU standard (User to User Service) when the terminal 3 is a telephone terminal. landline using the Integrated Service Digital Transmission Network (ISDN). Advantageously, such a short message will be preprogrammed in the parking meter microcontroller 1. The choice of signal, voice signal, short message or other, may be determined by the user during the step of entering the information required by the parking meter. 1 to issue the alert signal. It is also possible to provide that the alert signal

Obviously, the illustrated embodiment has been given by way of example and is in no way limitative of all of the solutions that can be implemented thanks to the present invention. Thus the order of the steps described above can be reversed: the selection of the parking time preceding the selection of the alert signal service.

Thus, the present invention also relates to systems for paying for parking spaces by telephone from a remote server, MPP system. The process is then the same, except that the user does not need to enter his mobile phone number since it is already known due to the call.

The server uses the voice channel of the telephone and offers the possible options by means of a voice message and waits in return for the keystroke of the telephone which materializes the choice made by the user. For example, the server sends the following voice message: "IF YOU WISH TO BE NOTIFIED OF THE END OF YOUR PARKING, PRESS KEY 1, OTHERWISE PRESS KEY 2 OR WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS". If the user presses the key 1 on their phone, the MPP server then sends the following voice message: "IF YOU WISH TO BE ADVISED 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE END OF YOUR PARKING, PRESS THE KEY 1, TO BE ADVISED 10 MINUTES BEFORE AT THE END, PRESS KEY 2, TO BE NOTIFIED 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE END, PRESS KEY 3 ". Depending on the choice of the user, the server records the corresponding anticipation period.

Thus, the present invention relates to an automatic transmission method of an alert signal intended to warn the user of the end of any type of fixed-term service, and not only temporary access to a parking space, stopping or expiring said service. Thus, the service can be a right of access or visit to an exhibition, a museum, an amusement park, means of transport, ski lifts, etc.

Thus, the service can also take the form of the operation of an apparatus such as for example a washing machine of automatic laundromat or even a stove oven. Indeed, consider for example the user of a self-service laundromat washing machine. This user must be present when stopping and unlocking the machine to avoid having his laundry stolen. This presence requirement limits the user in these movements during the machine's operating time, in particular because the time of stopping is never known with certainty. The possibility given to the user to be notified a few minutes before the machine stops lifting this obligation of presence and therefore allows the user to move away from the laundromat during the time the machine is running while being sure to be present when the latter stops.

Claims

1 / Method for automatically transmitting an alert signal intended to warn the user of a service of limited duration of the stopping of said service, said method comprising a step of selection by the user of a service, a step of selection by the user of the emission of an alert signal at the end of said service, a step of monitoring the progress of said service and a step of emission of an alert signal warning the user of stopping said service.

2 / A method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a step of entering by the user information necessary for the emission of said alert signal.

3 / A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that among said information necessary for the transmission of said alert signal appears the time of transmission of said alert signal.

4 / A method according to claim 3, characterized in that said moment of the emission of said alert signal is captured in the form of a predetermined duration preceding the stopping of said service.

5 / A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said alert signal consists of a telephone call.

6 / A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said alert signal consists of an SMS type message. 7 / A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the step of selection by the user of the emission of an end of service alert signal gives rise to payment to be validated.

8 / A method according to ^"' any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the step of selection by the user of the emission of an end of service alert signal is operated before the selection step by the user of said service.

9 / A method according to claim 8, characterized in that the step of selection by the user of said service gives rise to payment to be validated and in that the amount paid includes the payment of the emission of the alert signal.

10 / A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said limited-time service is provided by a device, said device comprising appropriate means for programming, supervising and transmitting said alert signal.

11 / A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said service is a service of temporary access rights to a good or to a service such as a right of parking on roads.

12 / A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said service consists of the operation of an apparatus such as a washing machine of automatic laundromat.

13 / Device for implementing the method according to claim 10, characterized in that it comprises means for selecting and entering an alert signal, information necessary to the emission of said alert signal and of a service such as a right of access, means of supervision and control of the duration of said service, and programmable means of emission of said alert signal to the expiration of said service.

14 / Device according to claim 13, characterized in that it consists of a payment terminal for the right of access.

15 / Payment terminal according to claim 14, characterized in that it is constituted by a parking meter delivering parking tickets with validity limited in time, intended to be arranged in parked vehicles.

16 / Access right payment server according to claim 13, characterized in that the user accesses said server by means of his telephone, and in that said server sends the alert signal to said telephone.